The Philadelphia Eagles may have beat the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, but don’t let that fool you. It’s clear that head coach Doug Pederson is still the biggest problem in Philly right now.
Pederson is remembered for winning the Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2018 because he was so creative the whole year once his star quarterback was sidelined for the season. But this year, Pederson has been a totally different coach and it has costed his team.
Pederson’s Questionable Play Calling
Ravens at Eagles – Week 6
The Baltimore Ravens came into Lincoln Financial Field for their Week 6 matchup as huge favorites on the road. The Eagles had their whole offense practically on the sideline and Carson Wentz carried his team in the second half to a two-point deficit against the best defense in the league.
Pederson had an opportunity to tie up the game at 30-30 with a two-point conversion after a late touchdown to push the game into overtime. You would think that he has a special two-point play in his playbook ready if a situation came up that absolutely needed to be successful. It was the situation to use it.
But the play Pederson chose was the least creative play you could imagine. He chose for Wentz to run a quarterback read option and the Baltimore defense tackled him before he could even start running towards the goal line.
That was a game the Eagles could have at least tied it but Pederson’s play-calling costed them. Then, there were two fourth-quarter examples of Pederson’s mind-boggling mistakes in their one-point win over the Giants on Thursday night.
Giants at Eagles – Week 7
With 7:16 remaining in the game, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones completed a nine-yard pass to Sterling Shepard that looked short of a first down and goal, but the referees ended up giving it to the Giants. Pederson threw the challenge flag but the problem was he threw it after the ball was snapped. The FOX broadcast noted that Pederson was waiting for confirmation that the ball was short of the first down mark before throwing the red flag, but he shouldn’t have needed that confirmation from upstairs.
New York’s offense hurried to the line to snap the ball because they knew that it wasn’t a first down. That should’ve been a clear indicator to the opposing coach that they didn’t get the first down and should throw the challenge flag. The missed first down and goal call resulted in a two-yard touchdown pass with 6:17 remaining in the game. That score made it an 11-point deficit and obviously made it harder for Philadelphia to complete the comeback.
Pederson made a second mistake with even less time left on the clock. With 4:42 remaining, Wentz threw a touchdown pass to make it a five-point game, but Pederson tried to go for the two-point conversion again in an attempt to get them within a field goal of the Giants. Unshockingly, the Eagles failed again thanks to Pederson.
He called yet another uncreative play that actually mirrored the one that cost them a tie vs Baltimore the week before. Philadelphia was on the one-yard line and Pederson called for a Wentz quarterback sneak again and it’s like the Giants did their job by watching the film from the week before, as the entire defense met Wentz before the goal line.
Doug Pederson Deserves Criticism
It makes every Eagles fan scratch their heads when they see their Super Bowl champion head coach running the same play two weeks in a row after it didn’t work out the first time. The definition of insanity is doing something the same way and expecting different results.
It’s a valid question to ask where the “Philly Special” Pederson has gone. He and general manager Howie Roseman drafted Jalen Hurts, one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the game, but he keeps him on the sideline and instead opts to have Wentz turn into a running back on the one-yard line.
The one positive from their 22-21 win over the Giants is that they sit atop the NFC East as of now, but don’t let the standings fool you. Philadelphia was one Evan Engram catch away from falling to 1-5-1 and while the injuries are the storyline as to why they have a losing record, Pederson certainly deserves criticism for the team’s rough start.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Ben Fadden on Twitter @benfaddensports
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
